The New York Public Library is celebrating Juneteenth by releasing the Black Liberation Reading List for Young Readers, a selection of 65 books that celebrate the Black experience.
It's just one of the ways the NYPL is commemorating the Juneteenth holiday. The Public Library will also stream storytimes, readings and speeches throughout the day and into the following week.
The list is for readers ages 18 and under, and includes board books, picture books, chapter books and graphic novels. These are kids' books about race that celebrate diversity and inclusion, and should be on everybody's reading list. Many of the books can be read for free on SimplyE, the e-reader from the NYPL that lets you download thousands of kids books at no cost to you. It's never been easier to read all of the kids' books we love.
Several books on the list will be read in virtual storytimes happening throughout the day on Juneteenth, and
throughout the following week. Librarians, elected officials, and authors themselves will read during the
programs, which will be shared at nypl.org/juneteenth2020.
The Black Liberation Reading List for Young Readers was put together by the Schomburg Center, the 95-year-old research center that documents the Black experience.
Why are there 65 books on the list? Juneteenth observes the day when General Gordon Granger of the Union Army ended slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865—more than two months after the end of the Civil War.
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